Cryptid: The Lost Legacy of Lewis & Clark

By Eric Penz

Book Overview

The line between history and legend can be deceptively thin too thin, perhaps, to maintain the claim that one is exclusively fact and one fiction. Such may be the case with the history of Lewis and Clark for the fact is that two hundred years after they were handpicked by Thomas Jefferson to lead an extraordinary expedition to the Pacific coast, legends still persist regarding unexplained gaps in the explorers field journals. Call it legend, call it history, Cryptid tells the riveting story of conspiracy theorists who have new evidence of a centuries-old cover-up. When a cryptozoologist, a paleontologist, and a Jefferson descendant begin connecting the dots, they threaten to do more than unveil the well-guarded scientific discovery that lies at the heart of the ancient secret; they threaten to rewrite American history. That is, if they can survive a conspiracy that dates back to the Founding Fathers the very same one that haunted Lewis to his grave. It may be that one of our nation s first secrets is still being kept. Cryptid illustrates how the act of seeking the truth can be the very element that destroys it. Two centuries in the making, Cryptid is the final chapter of the Lewis and Clark story. And, as with any good tale, the best secrets have been kept until the end. Scientists race to discover the truth behind Gigantopithecus, aka Bigfoot, before a mysterious group eliminates all traces of its existence. Paleontologist Samantha Russell has spent most of her life searching for remains of a giant ape about which very little is known, due in large part to a paucity of fossils. After another disappointing dig, she receives a package containing a bone. The plot and writing provide genuine thrills All of the ingredients of a taut thriller are here -Kirkus Discoveries

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 158348485X
• ISBN13: 9781583484852
• Release Date: July 2006
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Length: 332 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

A True Must Read tale of fiction and facts..........

This new author did an amazing job at keeping me totally captivated with his first novel. I got into it and literally couldn't put the book down. I wanted more and more of each story line and more of each character. I could clearly visualize the characters and the scenes they were in, through the descriptive and realistically creative writing. I was "on the edge of my seat" throughout much of the novel. You have got to buy this one and enjoy it!!! I hope to see a sequel someday. I have so many questions left to be answered.

You've got to love a book that plays with reality

You have got to love a novel that blends history, science, para-science, and pure fiction so smoothly that it sometimes sends you back to your encyclopedias to see if information it has fed you is true. As it turns out, some of the best things in this novel were entirely untrue and presented so skillfully that you swallow them just as easily as the real stuff. Cryptid begins with the suicide/murder o Meriwether Lewis. Like the assassination of President Kennedy, the Lewis suicide has enough unanswered questions to keep conspiracy theorists spinning, and Penz takes full advantage of the situation. But the book does not meander in the past for long-that suicide is just the James Bond opener that thrusts you into modern-day researchers uncovering a mystery that would send Robert Langdon asking for hints. Pretty soon you are dealing with Sasquatch, government cover ups, and more. Buried in all of this, is a storyline that picks up loose ends from history and lovingly ties them into a pretzel.

The hunt for Bigfoot - government cover up?

From the beginning of the book you are captured in a suspenseful hunt for the truth about Big Foot. Connecting a government conspiricy back to the days of Lewis and Clark to a modern day discovery keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the entire book. A real page turner and a must read.

A thought-provoking, pulse-pounding adventure

Everyone loves a good conspiracy, and Eric Penz presents an intriguing one in his debut novel regarding a cover-up of the Bigfoot legend led by--who else?--those two great, faceless evils: big business and the U.S. government. A bit of a stretch, at first glance, to imagine that one or both have found it in the best interests of the American people to hide the existence of Sasquatch from the common man. But with copious research and meticulous attention to historical detail, Penz raises some convincing arguments. As any conspiricist knows, it's not about proving your theory IS true, only raising the possibility that it COULD be. But this story is not merely about telling us how evil Big Brother can be. It's an adventure, filled with all of the requisite chills, horrors, and romances one might expect. Think JURASSIC PARK rather than HARRY AND THE HENDERSONS. How would an eight-foot primate trained to hate man really react when encountered by him? The answer, very believably, is with a unique blend of animal savagery and human cunning, with the hunters quickly becoming the hunted. The juxtaposition carries nicely throughout, as the story balances between scientific theory and heart-stopping thriller. There are some anticipated moments, and some jaw-dropping ones. Most importantly, the characters come across as real people with believable motives. If certain matters seem somewhat unresolved in the end, keep in mind, that's how life usually works. Besides, the moment a conspiracy theory is forced fully into the light, it ceases to become conspiracy. If you're a fan of early American exploration, a Sasquatch aficionado, or if you simply enjoy modern-day adventure and edge-of-your-seat thrills, Eric Penz's "Cryptid" offers plenty for you to enjoy.

A rollicking romp of an adventure tale -- great fun all around

This is a rollicking romp of an adventure novel with a science fiction skeleton -- or maybe it's the other way around. The action ranges from China to Washington, D.C. to the Olympic rain forest and points in between, and the story is told in several voices which are as distinct and characteristic as they are engaging. The characterization is strong, the pace is brisk without being rushed, the surprises are neither telegraphed or short-changed, and the whole thing is an absolute hoot from start to finish (in the sense of being great fun). Penz resists the temptation to tie everything up in too tidy a bundle at the end of the novel, so that the intrigue lives on when the last page is turned -- in other words, it delivers (grin). I particularly enjoyed the integration of long-dead voices into the living narrative, phonetic spelling and all. Recommended for a fun read, but maybe not to take camping with you if you're going to the woods!